9181. Verses 16-17 When a man persuades a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay silver according to the dowry of virgins. 'When a man persuades a virgin who is not betrothed' means good that has not been joined to truth. 'And lies with her' means a wrongful joining together. 'He shall surely endow her to be his wife' means a token of consent on his side to a rightful joining together. 'If the father utterly refuses to give her to him' means if interior good does not allow the joining together. 'He shall pay silver according to the dowry of virgins' means another kind of truth which consents instead.

4544. 'Remove the gods of the foreigner which are in the midst of you' means that falsities were to be cast aside. This is clear from the meaning of 'removing' as casting aside, and from the meaning of 'the gods of the foreigner' as falsities; for in the Word 'gods' means truths and in the contrary sense falsities, 4402. Those people were called 'foreigners' who were outside the Church and therefore those who were subject to falsities and evils, 2049, 2115; and this explains why 'the gods of the foreigner' means falsities.